Month: July 2018

Carter went on to explain that his mother’s comments were misconstrued.

A lot of people probably thought what she was saying was that players are slaves and coaches are slave owners, he said. But that’s not what she was saying at all. It’s the fact that if you go to college, you’re not paid for working for someone above us, and the person above us is making all the money. Not talking about merchandise or food or free education, because if that was the case, they should allow players to go straight out of high school instead of forcing them to have one year of college, which does not do much in terms of academics.

Carter, for his part, said he intends to finish his degree after he is drafted.

Gilgeous-Alexander also knocked down 40.4 percent of his 3-pointers and tallied 1.6 steals per contest.

The Raptors finished 2017-18 with a 59-23 record and earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But after topping the Wizards in six games in their first-round series, the Raptors were swept by the Cavaliers.

As an impressive athlete with size and length, Fernando has his fans in NBA circles. During his freshman season, he flashed potential as a finisher around the basket, converting 58.2 percent of his 2s.

There remain questions about his NBA role, however, as he’s not much of a shooter and blocked just 2.2 shots per 40 minutes last season.

He knows the opposition, he knows pitchers, Black said. He’s as prepared as any player I’ve been around.

Adam Ottavino (4-1) gave up two runs but retired three batters to win. Wade Davis pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.

Can’t nobody guard him – with the exception of an old 2004 Metta World Peace, but I was suspended so I wouldn’t be able to play against him anyway.

The Cavaliers recently explored a potential trade for Kawhi Leonard, according to a report from USA Today.

Cleveland contacted the Spurs to discuss a possible deal for the 26-year-old star. But, the trade talks did not gain traction, according to the report.

The Cavaliers finished last season with a 50-32 record. They advanced to their fourth straight NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Warriors.

Cleveland star LeBron James could opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer. The Cavaliers are reportedly interested in a trade for Hornets point guard Kemba Walker.

Eric Thames homered off Mahle, his 14th home run in 22 career games against Cincinnati. Thames hit 10 last year, the most by a Brewers player against the Reds in one season.

The last pinch-hit grand slam by a Reds player came from Chris Heisey on April 13, 2014, against Tampa Bay. Lorenzen’s three homers this season are the most by a Reds pitcher since Micah Owings had three in 2009. The last major league pitcher to homer in three straight at-bats was Colorado’s Mike Hampton in 2001.

In the past eight days, Reds pitchers have produced four homers — three by Lorenzen, one by DeSclafani. For the season, Lorenzen is 4 for 6 with three homers and six RBIs.

Mahle’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a Reds pitcher since Amir Garrett also fanned 12 on April 19, 2017, against the Orioles. The club record for strikeouts by a rookie is 15 by Gary Nolan on June 7, 1967, against the Giants.

Spalding is an athletic big man who delivered impressive defensive numbers during his junior season at Louisville, averaging 2.2 steals and 2.5 blocks per 40 minutes.

Figuring out what his offensive role can be at the NBA level will be crucial. The 21-year-old is positive value for the Mavericks here.

The former five-star recruit spent just one season with the Hurricanes, averaging 11.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Brunson isn’t likely to be a star in the league, but he’s a good bet to be a solid rotation player. He’s one of the more efficient pull-up shooters in the draft and a safe ball-handler.

His athleticism and strength likely won’t translate as well against NBA defenders, but a head coach can count on him to lead a second unit. Notably, the Nets have worked out a slew of prospects who could fit at this pick.

Frazier has the potential to be one of the most versatile defenders in the draft thanks to his lengthy wingspan. He would give Atlanta another young 3-and-D player on the roster.

For NBA teams hoping to jump into the top five of Thursday’s draft, there is a willing dance partner as the Grizzlies are reportedly shopping a trade package that includes the No. 4 selection and Chandler Parsons, ESPN.com reported.

A trade is unlikely to happen before Memphis is on the clock Thursday night as teams will have a sure picture of which players are available at No. ESPN.com cited anonymous sources who said Memphis only wants to move back a few spots and remain in the lottery.

Dallas is a interesting team in this mix as they reportedly love international prospect Luka Doncic, who some project going as high as No. 2 to the Kings. If he’s still on the board at No. 4, the Mavs may jump at the opportunity to draft Doncic, even if it mean bringing back Parsons, his massive contract and injury issues.

The 34-year-old forward opted Saturday not to exercise his contract termination option, so he’ll play for the Thunder for $27.9 million in the 2018-19 season. Coming off career lows in scoring (16.2 ppg) and shooting percentage (40.4 percent), some fans hoped he’d move on. They shared those thoughts on social media.

Anthony fired back with his own Twitter post Saturday night.

If Anthony returns to form next season, those fans’ hard feelings will quickly be forgotten.

Understanding what a front office values in prospects can be helpful when mocking out what the first round will look like. On a larger level, though, it provides a coherent vision for a franchise’s future by helping a team shape its roster with an end goal in mind. On Thursday night, three organizations stood out for their commitment to principles.

A native of the Czech Republic, Vesely had European success with a team in Serbia, Partizan, winning the young player of the year award after helping the team to the Euroleague final four. Although he had the size, at 6-11, to match up with NBA frontcourt players and a solid shooting touch, he never demonstrated great comfort competing in the league. He returned to Europe after being dealt to Denver and playing a short time with the Nuggets. He has played well since with Turkey’s Fenerbache.

Griffin had a sad, troubled career in the NBA. He had fights with teammates at both Roman Catholic High in Philadelphia and at Seton Hall. During his pro career he went through treatment for alcoholism and missed the 2003-04 season while in rehab. But he subsequently had substance problems while with the Minnesota Timberwolves that led to his final release from an NBA team. He was intoxicated at more than three times the legal limit when he drove his car onto a railroad track and was struck by a train, ending his life in August 2007.

The 27-year-old Hudson has never played in the majors. He batted .235 with no homers and three RBIs in 16 games for Triple-A Louisville this season.

ST. LOUIS — Max Fried was so good that he didn’t even need all the support Nick Markakis and the Braves provided for his first win of the season.

Markakis hit a grand slam, Fried took a shutout into the seventh inning and Atlanta beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-4 on Saturday night.

You’ve got to give all the credit to Max, Markakis said. He went out and pitched one of the better games I’ve seen. For him, two runs early on was enough for him. It was nice to get some runs and give him a nice cushion there.

One would think that Young has learned to watch what he says on camera years ago.

Ayton declared himself the No. 1 pick after his workout with the Suns, and all indications are that Phoenix will choose him first. The Suns have looked at other candidates for this spot, and there is always a chance (however slim) that the top pick could be moved. Not likely, though.

Ayton has a lot riding on going first because he has only worked out for the Suns, and a source noted that he will not work out for any other team before the draft.

This was Year 5 of McDonough’s time with the Suns. After the team won 48 games in his first season, he has overseen the worst four-year stretch in franchise history since, with a .326 winning percentage and an average of just 26.8 wins per year.

Joel Embiid is the king of owning the narrative, and he is making a push at owning the NBA Draft story from afar Thursday.

With Michael Porter Jr.’s fall to No. 14 in the draft to the Nuggets, there were plenty of comparisons made to Embiid because of the medical history both players had coming out of college.

Embiid doesn’t want to be compared to Porter though.

The 6-4 guard is young for his class and may not make an impact immediately, but his statistical indicators suggest he could be due for a rapid development curve that turns him into a breakout player.

Holiday worked out twice for Phoenix during the pre-draft process, and the Suns are in search of a more consistent solution at point guard. Despite his rough exit from the NCAA Tournament, Holiday projects to be a capable NBA shooter and willing defender while coming from a family with an NBA pedigree.

Prior to the injury, Porter was widely regarded as the potential No. 1 overall pick.

The Nuggets, however, decided Porter was worth the risk after doing their research.

We poured over the medical records again and had our doctors there, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said. We had quite a bit of information at our fingertips and we kind of vet as much as you can and make an informed decision. Is it well worth the risk? Will he return to the level of play he was prior to injury? We feel good about that.

Porter’s status remains unclear as he explained during his introductory press conference that whether he plays in the team’s summer league will be up to coach Michael Malone. He said, I could play, but I could be even healthier.